So many races, so little timeMany columns have been written concerning the health of road racing in recent years. To get a good handle on this situation, it is only necessary to consult the road race calendar in any running magazine, newspaper or web site across the USA. Races are proliferating in general, but almost any race director will tell you they spend countless hours figuring out how to attract runners to their event.

Many columns have been written concerning the health of
road racing in recent years. To get a good handle on this
situation, it is only necessary to consult the road race
calendar in any running magazine, newspaper or web site
across the USA. Races are proliferating in general, but
almost any race director will tell you they spend countless
hours figuring out how to attract runners to their event.

We road racers are pretty lucky when it comes to
organized events. Take a look at our sister sports of cycling
and swimming. There are plenty of organized bike rides, but
few road races where a non-elite enthusiast can show up, pay
a fee and ride against other riders and the clock over a set
distance. In fact, I don't know of a single event like this
in New England. In swimming, there are masters meets, but the
average swimmer would be far too intimidated to try one of
these events. Open water swims are more friendly to the
average "exercise" swimmer, but it's difficult to know the
distance of any particular race. The most comparable
situation is the sport of triathlon, but outside of the
ironman distance, it is difficult to compare times of races.
We all know what a three or four hour marathon means, but how
about a three hour " international " distance triathlon. On
any weekend however, a runner can find a number of accurately
measured, organized road races over well known distances.

There are hundreds of races scheduled in New England
alone for the summer of 1996. Working under the assumption
that all of these are worthy events and given the fact that
even the most fanatic of us can only allocate so much time to
competing in races, a decision process is necessary in
selecting an event in which to complete. With a plethora of
events virtually every weekend of the year, the choices have
never been more plentiful.

As someone who has been on both sides of the starting
line and heard countless post race comments, reviews, and
criticisms from runners through the years, I've been
fascinated to learn just what is really important to the
participants in selecting a road race.

Thus prompted, a while back I undertook a survey, asking
runners to rank in order of importance various factors they
take into consideration when choosing a race to run. Race
selection factors were ranked from 1 to 10, 10 being very
important, 1 being least important.

So what did I learn from the responses? That runners
are more concerned with an efficiently organized event than
reading about it in the paper the next day. This hardly
qualifies as earth shattering news, but there were some other
mildly surprising responses. On average, race amenities rate
highly with runners. We all like to get something to remember
the race by, even if it is our 300th T-shirt. A race's
reputation rates highly, but there is nothing like having run
the race before to sell us on doing it again. The nature of
the course is very important. Hills aren't necessarily bad:
as anyone who has attempted to enter Mt. Washington knows. If
you advertise flat and fast however, it had better be that!

Factors that ranked mid range were race tradition,
recommendation of friends, race location, the time of day the
race is held, and the size of the field. Surely these last
three are taken into greater consideration in extreme cases.
After all, when trying to balance running with other facets
of life, it often comes down to convenience. If there is a
race in your hometown, it will be easier to run than a
marathon in another country. It is worth noting though, that
runners will put up with a bit of inconvenience to be part of
a great event. We haven't forgotten the 100th boston yet!

The cost of a race is not critical for most runners,
proving the adage that consumers are willing to pay for a
quality product. Surprisingly, whether the course is
certified seems not to be significant, proving the adage that
runners will believe themselves capable of any result that
appears on the finish line clock. Competition and prizes were
ranked very low, reflecting the trend towards participation
and fun over racing to win. Charity also rates very low;
most runners these days consider races mostly for the
running. There are many other ample opportunities to support
worthy charities.

Of course the most important consideration for runners
in selecting a race is the organization of the event. All the
glitz in the world cannot overcome a poorly organized race.
From the days of Clarence Demar to 1996, an efficient pre
race sign up, a clear and well marked course, and with fast
and accurate results have been enough to make any road racer
happy.